Q: Thermostat reading high, car hard to start

asked by on September 29, 2016

My car will give me problems when trying to start it. Sometimes it will turn on without a problem. On other occasions I would have to sit in the car for about 15-20 minutes before the engine actually comes on. Today, while driving, I noticed the thermostat reading was high, it was all the way up in the red zone. When I opened the hood the engine was very hot. About 2 days ago the engine was smoking a little but I didn't notice any changes in the thermostat. I towed it to a shop and they ran some test and said everything is fine but I'm here still wondering why the car won't start without a problem and why is my thermostat reading so high.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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